A remarkable discovery has been made in southern Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, where a 131-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossil was found to be pregnant with twins. The finding, announced recently, marks the third instance of a pregnant ichthyosaur from the Cretaceous period.
According to paleontologist Judith Pardo-Pérez, who first discovered the fossil in 2009, the ichthyosaur’s remains revealed two fetuses inside her fossilized womb. A CT scan analysis confirmed that the fossil was indeed pregnant with twins. The researchers believe that M. hauthali, a species of ichthyosaur, may have given birth to relatively large babies.
Fiona, as the fossil has been named, is estimated to be around 11.5 feet long and lived approximately 131 million years ago. The remarkable preservation of her remains is attributed to rapid burial in sediment and low oxygen levels on the seafloor.
The study suggests that Fiona’s newborns may have been delivered tail-first, an adaptation also seen in modern dolphins and whales. Additionally, the fossil revealed the ichthyosaur’s last meal: small fish remains.
Pardo-Pérez is continuing to analyze Fiona’s fossil, including a CT scan analysis which allowed her to observe the entire skeleton in greater detail. She plans to release more details of this discovery in an upcoming research paper.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/ancient-sea-monster-pregnant-twins-184717678.html